Role Theory, Archetypes, and Moreno's Philosophy Illuminated by the Kabbalistic Tree of Life
Keywords:
archetypeAbstract
J. L. Moreno's vision, which sprang from his deeper philosophical intuitions about the essentially creative nature of the Godhead, was influenced in part by his study as a young man of Kabbalah. Moreno derived his notions of spontaneity from his contemplations on the nature of creativity and then envisioned the potential of drama as a vehicle for its liberation. Those musings led to Moreno's promulgation of role theory as a theoretical complement to psychodrama. In this article, the author links Moreno's role theory to Jung's concept of archetypes and to Moreno's concept of metapraxie. Those relationships are best appreciated by using the kabbalistic Tree of Life diagram. The author also addresses the implications for working transpersonally with clients, based on that diagram.
References
Blatner, A. (2000). Foundations of psychodrama: History, theory, and practice (4th ed.). New York: Springer.
Blatner, A. (2002a). The relevance of the concept of archetype. Retrieved May 4, 2005, from http://www.blatner.com/adam/level2/archetype.htm.
Blatner, A. (2002b). Enacted dialogue. Retrieved May 4, 2005, from http://www.blatner.com/adarn/ level2/enacteddialog.html.
Blatner, A. (2002c). Re-story-ing the soul. Retrieved May 4, 2005, from www.blatner.com/adam/ level2/restorsoul.htrn.
Blatner, A. (in press). Perspectives on wisdom-ing. Re Vision.
Blatner, A., & Blatner, A. R. (1988). The metaphysics of creativity as reflected in Moreno's "metapraxie" and the mystical tradition. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 40, 155-163.
Drob, S. (2000). Kabbalistic metaphors: Jewish mystical themes in ancient and modern thought. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
Falcon, T., & Blatner, D. (2001). Judaism for dummies. New York: Hungry Minds.
Gray, W. G. (1975). Patterns of Western magic. In C. T. Tart (Ed.), Transpersonal psychologies. (pp. 431-472). New York: Harper & Row.
Halevi, Z. B. S. (1972). An introduction to the cabala: Tree of life. New York: Samuel Wieser.
Hollander, C. (1978). A process for psychodrama training: The Hollander psychodrama curve. Denver, CO: Snow Lion Press.
Johari, H. (1987). Chakras: Energy centers of transformation. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
Moreno, J. L. (1941). The words of the Father. Beacon, NY: Beacon House.
Moreno, J. L. (1947). The theater of spontaneity. Beacon, NY: Beacon House.
Moreno, J. L. (1989). Autobiography. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 42, 1-73.
Myss, C. (1996). Anatomy of the spirit: The seven stages of power and healing. New York: Three Rivers.
Myss, C. (1997). Why people don't heal and how they can. New York: Three Rivers.
Ponce, C. (1973). Kabbalah. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books.
Winters, N. (2000). The psychospiritual in psychodrama: A fourth role category. International Journal of Action Methods, 52, 163-172.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.